The Denver Nuggets suffered a nail-biting 109-107 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers Friday night after yielding 38 points to Portland in the final quarter. Denver played consistently throughout the game on the offensive end while the defense went up and down, holding Portland to 18 points in each of the first and third quarters, while the second and fourth quarters got away from them.

Denver got the better of Portland when it came to rebounds, while the two teams matched up evenly on assists, but the real chink in the Nuggets' armor came down to turnovers, losing the ball 16 times compared to 12 by the Trail Blazers. 

Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic led the way for the Nuggets scoring-wise, with four other Nuggets turning in double-digit performances.

One negative standout from the box score was guard Christian Braun, who scored five points in 30 minutes and took accountability for his lack of production on and off the ball after the game.

"[The Trail Blazers] pick up full court, and I feel like we didn't do a good job at helping Jamal out... I think I've got to get myself more involved. I've got to screen more, I've got to bring the ball up and help those guys out," Braun said (via Altitude TV).

Braun also pointed out another flaw in his game on Friday in the form of ill-timed fouls as the game came to a close that hurt the Nuggets momentum. Denver committed less personal fouls overall, but gave up costly possessions late in the game. 

"Me personally, I got to play better, period," Braun admitted. "I've got to be better individually. We can't really blame calls or rely on those things... I think for the most part we were good. I had some bad fouls, just down the stretch, it got away from me."

The 24-year-old guard is in his fourth professional season and beyond Friday night, has been a steady contributor on the court for Denver, averaging 11 points, 2.4 assists and 3.8 rebounds in 30.8 minutes per game.

Denver Nuggets forward Christian Braun (0) looks to pass the ball against the Los Angeles Clippers during the third quarter at Intuit Dome. Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images

The Nuggets would certainly like to see more production for the former 21st overall pick, and an uptick in his play would pay dividends for Denver when either Murray or Jokic is limited.

Friday night proved not to be Braun's time, but if he takes his own postgame message to heart, then the Nuggets would likely upgrade their offensive scheme in a potentially dangerous backcourt pairing.